Devialet announced their SAM go faster software loudspeaker specific plug-in for their widening range of integrated amplifiers at the Munich High End show. We outlined the project in that show report. These downloadable ‘upgrades’ are loudspeaker specific so the thorny question is, who gets it first?

Magico Q3

Surprisingly given its high cost and relatively low volume sales, the first to get it was a Magico Q3 with a winning 155 votes. Less surprisingly given its longevity and wider distribution is the B&W 800 Diamond with 132 votes, though you might have thought that these two well regarded speakers, with fine bass to boot, might not need the ministrations of a custom, loudness related software realignment.

The B&W CM10 comes next, then the Elac FS-607 X-Jet, these two with 130 votes. Devialet have set the acceptance bar at 100 internet votes. The Kef LS-50, Vivid Giya G3 and Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 all score greater than 120.

Focal’s Utopia Diablo 3 gets 118, the B&W 802 117, and amazingly given how few of them there are, the KEF Blade with some 116 votes. Then there is another Magico, the S1 with 107, and the Martin Logan Montis, a moving coil electrostatic hybrid, with 106.

Is it a reflection of B&W’s sale penetration that the 805 Diamond is also in with 105 votes? Proac’s D40r gets 102, the brand new Kef R300, 102 as does the Wilson Audio Sophia 3, also at 102. There is yet another Magico, the V2 at 102 votes, while the latest Focal Scala V-2 and the Maserati B&W 805 are already in the do listing at 99 votes.

There are another 50 or so contenders moving up the range to this nominal 100 point software commissioning threshold. Once approved each model needs to be assessed in the Devialet lab to characterise the parameters of the bass drivers, the bass alignment and its operational thresholds, so as to create a map of the dynamic behaviour and linear operational limits.

While the low frequency phase performance is also optimised, the other side of the equation is keeping the drivers out of trouble at high powers so reducing subjective distortion and thus improving clarity.